Writers and Their Work

Writers put more of themselves in their work than readers often suspect, argues Austin Wright in his novel Tony & Susan. This is because writers write what they know: the things they love and know only naturally end up in their writing, as writing is most often a labor of love. The things writers love or know, they write about.

When Susan begins reading Nocturnal Animals, her first thoughts pivot to how much of Edward she will find in his novel. She reflects on being young and accusing him of putting too much of himself in his early novels, and remembers Edward defending the practice as natural. In the present, Susan wonders how much of the other aspects of Edward’s life she will find in the novel.

Immediately, Susan finds many similarities and parallels. Tony is meek and mild like Edward. Tony is...